This invention relates generally to aerial toys, and more specifically relates to a new and improved aerial toy apparatus that is safe for young children to handle, easy to move the pump member and mount the flying member onto the launch tube, while maintaining an ability to launch the flying member for a considerable distance.
Toy apparatus capable of launching a flying member for a considerable flying distance has been popular with young children. The existing aerial pump toys usually use compressed air to power the launch of the flying member. However, they are generally disadvantaged by a variety of shortcomings. For instances, the launch members of the existing aerial pump toys are easy to cause injury to the operator""s hand, as they are not provided with enough protective units around the handle positions. In addition, most of the flying members of the existing aerial pump toys are made of soft compressible foam without any built-in air insulation unit, which may cause air leakage from the foam loopholes to affect launch efficiency. Furthermore, the prior art aerial pump toys do not provide any air exit structure at the closed end of their pump members thereby causing difficulty for the young children to pull out the pump members due to the lack of differential air pressure between the inside and outside of the pump members. Lastly, the prior art aerial pump toys require that the flying member and the launch tube be kept substantially xe2x80x9ctight fitxe2x80x9d, which requirement would cause considerable difficulty for the young children to mount the flying member onto the launch tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,985 to Brinkley discloses an aerial toy comprising a hollow sleeve portion, a base pump member and a lunch tube upon which a flying member is mounted. The flying member, however, must contain at least one constriction circumferentially positioned around the launch tube so as to provide a xe2x80x9ctight fitxe2x80x9d between the flying member and the launch tube to generate sufficient air pressure for launching. While U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,985 provides an aerial toy capable of flying a considerable distance, it does not provide solutions to one of more of the shortcomings described above.
There is a need for a new and improved aerial toy that is safe for young children to handle, easy to move the pump member and mount the flying member on the launch tube, while still being capable of flying a considerable distance.
Accordingly, this invention provides a new and improved aerial toy aimed to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art technology while improving it into a safe, interesting and easy-to-use aerial toy apparatus. The aerial toy apparatus comprises a hollow sleeve member, opening at both ends; a base member to receive and accommodate the hollow sleeve member longitudinally for sliding movement, the base member having a cap at a lower end wherein the cap has a plurality of holes at its outer surface to permit air entrance into the base member when the base member is moved backward and an air insulation member bendably placed at an inner surface of the cap in a position opposite to the holes to prevent air exit from the base member when the base member is moved forward such that the base member moves easily along the hollow sleeve member while maintaining sufficient compressed air thereof. The aerial toy apparatus further comprises an air chamber into which an upper end of the hollow sleeve member fits securely thereof; a launch tube into which an upper end of the air chamber fits securely to receive the compressed air from the hollow sleeve member, and a flying member having an internal opening at one end mountable onto an upper end of the launch tube to be pushed off of the apparatus by the compressed air released from the launch tube. The air chamber of the aerial toy apparatus further comprises a sheath located on a portion of the air chamber to provide safe use of the toy apparatus. The base member further comprises a circle construction at its upper end to protect the base member from frequent collision with the air chamber so as to make the toy apparatus more durable. A layer of blank paper may be optionally wrapped inside the base member to prevent air leakage. One or more circle shaped films are provided inside an internal portion of the flying member to prevent air leakage from the soft material from which the flying member is made.